How to Pick Your Niche: Media Veterans Weigh In
Media veterans discuss the niche-selection decisions they made -- and the framework they'd use if they were starting out today.
Janelle Harris Dixon
Janelle Harris Dixon
Janelle Harris Dixon is a narrative journalist, copywriter, and content strategist with more than 20 years of experience covering race, culture, equity, and social justice. Her work has appeared in Essence, Ebony, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, Smithsonian, and more than 50 other publications. She holds a B.A. from Lincoln University and an M.A. in African American Studies from Temple University.
57 articles
The Mistakes That Are Surefire Ways to Get on an Editor’s Do-Not-Call List
Writers share the specific habits and missteps that have gotten them flagged -- and removed -- from editors' contact lists for good.
Janelle Harris Dixon
5 Signs You’re Ready to Make the Move From Writer to Editor
The editorial instincts, communication habits, and organizational skills that signal a writer is ready to switch sides -- and the ones that most aspiring editors still need to develop.
Janelle Harris Dixon
How to Become an Editor in Chief: 7 Tactics to Help You Reach the Top
The habits, career moves, and leadership skills that editors at the top of their mastheads say were most responsible for getting them there -- and the ones they wish they had developed sooner.
Janelle Harris Dixon
How to Rekindle Your Creative Streak When the Ideas Stop Coming
The habits, prompts, and environmental changes that help writers and journalists break out of creative dry spells and get back to generating ideas that are actually worth pursuing.
Janelle Harris Dixon
It’s Not Just Freelancers: Editors Have Frustrating Habits Too
Freelancers know their own bad habits well. But editors have frustrating patterns too -- and contributors share the behaviors that make working relationships harder than they need to be.
Janelle Harris Dixon
Jane Pratt on Telling It Like It Is and Building a Digital Magazine After Print
The former Sassy and Jane editor-in-chief on what she kept and what she discarded when she moved to digital -- and the editorial voice that has stayed consistent across every platform she has built.
Janelle Harris Dixon
Richard Lawson on the Art of the TV Recap and How He Does It Better Than Anyone
The writer on the specific craft behind a great television recap -- and what separates the ones that actually build a devoted audience from the ones that just summarize the plot.
Janelle Harris Dixon
Marc Lamont Hill on Fox News, Race in the Media, and Making Gaffes in the Public Eye
The author and media commentator on holding progressive views while appearing on Fox News -- and what he has learned about correcting yourself publicly in the age of social media.
Janelle Harris Dixon
How to Make the Jump From Full-Time Staff Writer to Freelancer
What staff writers consistently underestimate about going freelance -- from building a client base to managing cash flow to the psychological shift of working without a safety net.
Janelle Harris Dixon